Jackson’s violent crime down 14 percent

Jackson’s violent crime rate dropped 14.09 percent between 2013 and 2014, according to a report from the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The non-violent crime rate also dropped 6.64 percent, according to documentation from Capt. Mike Holt from the Jackson Police Department.

Violent crimes include homicide, all forcible sex offenses, aggravated assault and robbery, according to TBI spokesman Josh DeVine. Non-violent crime includes all other offenses.

Shots-fired reports from September 2014 through February 2015 were also down when compared with the same six-month period dating back to 2012, in some cases, by more than 60 percent, according to Holt.

The drop in violent crime, overall crime and shots fired reports suggests that crime in Jackson is decreasing, but there is room to improve, according to TBI Director Mark Gwyn.

“I mean every city and county has crime, and it’s our job to try to reduce that as much as possible, and numbers suggest that they are,” he said. “(Having) no crime is fictional.”

Jackson Interim Police Chief Julian Wiser and District 26 Attorney General Jerry Woodall both credited the drop in crime to the work of two programs, the Multi-Jurisdictional Violent Crime and Gang Task Force and Blue Impact.

The task force pulls departments across six counties — Madison, Crockett, Haywood, Gibson, Chester and Henderson — and has them share information with local, state and federal agencies. Officers in the various departments involved in the task force also participate in saturation patrols throughout the region.

Blue Impact is “intelligence driven policing” in which officers intentionally make relationships within the community and are on the beat to collect information.

The two programs work simultaneously. Wiser said the results speak for themselves.

“We’re better prepared,” Wiser said. “I mean we can’t stop every crime, but we’re in a better position now with the things that we have in place. And we’re going to get better.”

Jackson Mayor Jerry Gist said he used the city’s crime rate for domestic violence offenses when he said Jackson’s crime had dropped 11 percent at his state of the city address last week, but he said he did not have the most up-to-date information.

Mayoral candidates Lowe Finney and James Baxter were critical of Gist last week when The Jackson Sun asked for comments about Gist’s speech.

In regards to the violent crime statistics, Finney said, “Jackson averaged two violent crimes per day, making us the second most dangerous city in the state per capita, only behind Memphis. I am grateful for the hard work of our women and men in uniform, and this report shows the need for a comprehensive plan that has to start in the mayor’s office. Jackson must do better.”

“When I make reference to the crime rate, I’m looking at the many unsolved crimes, especially in East Jackson,” Baxter said. “What can I tell the grieving mothers? What can I tell the many people that go to bed at night in fear wondering if they will be robbed?

“The loss of life is my major concern and the people being safe in Jackson, Tennessee,” he continued.

“I would agree that it has gone down because you don’t hear about it,” mayoral candidate Tim York said. “It only took him seven and a half years to do something about it. You can’t wait that long to address an issue when you know that you’ve had a problem all along.

“You can’t expect a different result by electing the same people,” York continued.

Mayoral candidate Charlie Motton said that crime comes from the disadvantaged socioeconomic areas.

“If I become mayor, I would like to see Jackson’s crime rate considerably reduced, and I will work towards that end vigorously,” he said.

Woodall and Wiser both said that there could be a spike in crime at any given time, but that the departments are better equipped to handle a spike.

“The development of personal relationships will continue,” Woodall said. “And even if there is a spike, it will be much more efficiently addressed because of the working relationships of these six counties and the relationships developed by these on the street police officers with the communities involved.”

“Crime changes daily,” Wiser said. “Crime trends change, so we’ve got to change with those and be proactive to address those crimes.”

The Madison County Sheriff’s Office’s violent crime statistics also dropped 15.09 percent from 2013 to 2014.